Tiny Flutters
by bigdamnxenafan
Summary: Elizabeth and Teyla are married and awaiting the birth of their first child.


Tiny Flutters

Elizabeth sat in bed reading. She had wanted to stay in the Gate Room to await Teyla's return from her latest mission, but Carson wouldn't have it. Since she had entered her second trimester of pregnancy, the doctor had ordered her to maintain strict eight-hour work days and not a moment more. He watched her like a hawk and threatened her with enforced bed rest if she stepped out of line.

She followed his orders to the letter, yet she was still tired. In fact, she couldn't ever remember being this tired, but it was worth it. Elizabeth thumbed through the pages of _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ and absently rubbed her slightly swollen belly. All sorts of questions bounced around in her head. Was she eating properly? How big was the baby now? How big would he get? Was it a boy as she suspected? What else could she do to ensure he'd be healthy and happy?

Elizabeth was still pondering these things and so many more when the door opened and Teyla entered still decked out in her tactical gear. Her smile brought a warmth into the room, that Elizabeth had sorely missed. Everything was just a bit brighter when Teyla was around.

"How was the mission?" she asked as Teyla shed her tactical vest and put it away.

"Green and uneventful." Teyla replied with a teasing smile.

When Elizabeth had become pregnant Teyla had immediately requested to be transferred from Sheppard's team to one of the science teams. She wanted to be as close to her wife as possible during the pregnancy and she wanted to minimize the risk of being injured or worse before the baby was born.

"Weiss's botanists discovered some unusual flora on PXJ-454. Some sort of fern that did not match anything in their databases. There were acres of it beneath the forest canopy and I do believe they examined every leaf." Teyla smirked. "I am glad they enjoyed gathering their data, though I do not wish to see another fern for a very long time."

With a light laugh she crossed to the bed taking a seat on the edge of it. She kissed Elizabeth gently. "How are my wife and our child this evening?" She asked placing a hand on her Elizabeth's belly.

"We're just fine. Better now that you're home." Elizabeth covered Teyla's hand with her own. "We missed you." she said with a small smile.

Warmly, Teyla returned the smile. "And I you." Grinning she leaned in to steal another kiss. "Give me a few moments to clean up and I shall join you."

Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "That sounds great." She watched as Teyla got up and moved toward the bathroom. "Hurry back. I might start missing you again."

Teyla threw her love an impish look over her shoulder. "Then I shall endeavor to be prompt."

Elizabeth chuckled as her partner disappeared into the other room. She lay back and listened for the tale-tell sound of the shower, closing her eyes and imagining Teyla naked under the spray. A pleasant and distracting thought indeed. She was on the verge of getting up and joining her when something unexpected stopped her. A tiny stirring in her lower abdomen caught her attention.

Motionless, Elizabeth waited. There it was again, a gentle fluttering motion, akin to butterflies in the stomach, without the anxious feeling that accompanied them. Breathlessly, she placed her hand on her belly and sat up. Again the motion, this time more pronounced like tiny bubbles bouncing and fizzing in her tummy. This time she felt it on the outside as well. "Teyla! Get in here!" She shouted, excited beyond belief.

Teyla emerged from the bathroom, still dripping from the shower, with a towel wrapped haphazardly around her torso. "Elizabeth!" She called, alarmed and alert. "What is the matter? Are you all right?"

Catching sight of her partner's startled expression Elizabeth realized how frantic she must have sounded. "Oh, Teyla, no, nothing is the matter. Quite the opposite….it's…I…" she babbled as her wife knelt in front of her. Unable to find the words, she grabbed Teyla's hand and placed it on her belly. As if on cue, the baby moved again. "Feel that?" she asked her voice almost inaudible.

Teyla looked up at Elizabeth, wide eyed. "Yes," she replied in a hush tone. "Is that….?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, it's our baby. He's moving around in there."

Gently, Teyla rubbed her hand over Elizabeth's tummy as she lowered her head to press her cheek against it. "Hello there, little one. Are you waking up?"

The look of wonder on Teyla's face made Elizabeth's heart skip a beat. The bubbles fizzled even more energetically as Teyla spoke. "He likes that." A giddy smile spread across Elizabeth's face. "He knows you're his other mommy." Her fingers played lightly through Teyla's damp tresses, her heart swelling with love as Teyla spoke softly to their child.

"It would seem he does know me." Teyla laughed happily as another tiny flutter caressed her palm. "I cannot wait to meet him." She studied her lover's face for a few moments committing her expression to memory; she wanted to remember this moment always. Reaching up, she cupped Elizabeth's cheek. "So beautiful," she said softly, meaning her wife, the feel of their child moving beneath her hand, the whole experience. Leaning up, she kissed Elizabeth tenderly. "I have no doubt he will be beautiful just like you." Their lips brushed gently together. "Thank you, Elizabeth for giving me this child." Teyla looked up into Elizabeth's eyes, her own misting with tears. "I love you."

Using the backs of her fingers Elizabeth brushed tears from bronze cheeks. "You're welcome, my love_._ It's my pleasure to do this for you…for us." She nuzzled Teyla's nose with her own. "I love you, too." Smiling, she captured Teyla's lips, kissing her until they were both too breathless to continue.

Teyla crawled into bed beside her wife, curling her body around Elizabeth's in a protective fashion. For a long time they lay there, their joined hands resting on Elizabeth's tummy, caught up in the wonder of feeling the baby move inside her; laughing and planning what would happen after he was born. Finally their busy day caught up with them. Elizabeth dozed off first and as Teyla felt sleep creeping over her, she stole one last look at the mother of her child. She couldn't help but think that at last she had found perfection. With Elizabeth she had a home, a family. There was nothing more precious than that.


End file.
